Private GCSE Information and Communication Technology tutors

Yes. Private candidates enter through an exam centre that accepts them, such as a school or a British Council office, rather than directly with the exam board: you register with the centre, pay its fees and sit the exams there. ICT is harder to arrange than most subjects because the practical papers need a centre with suitable computers, software and invigilation, so not every centre accepts private candidates for it. Check with your centre before you start which board and syllabus it can run. See the private candidate guidance from Pearson, Cambridge and the British Council.

There is no A-Level ICT in the UK any more, so students usually go on to A-Level Computer Science. Each sixth form and college sets its own entry requirements, so check the prospectus of the one you're applying to. As a guide, most sixth forms ask for a grade 6 or 7 in Mathematics for Computer Science, and some prefer IGCSE Computer Science to ICT, because it includes programming. A good ICT grade still shows useful practical skills. If you take Cambridge IGCSE on the A*–G scale, a grade A is broadly equivalent to a 7 and a C to a 4, the points that were aligned when the 9–1 scale was introduced (GOV.UK grading factsheets), so a requirement of grade 6 usually means a strong B. See A-Level Computer Science.

IGCSE ICT tutoring with an academic tutor costs from $50 USD (£38) per hour, and packages save 5–15%, which suits weekly lessons that alternate between practical tasks and theory, with extra timed practicals before the exams. Pay as you go is invoiced after each lesson, with no lock-in contracts. Professional tutors (qualified teachers and examiners) cost from $75 USD (£56) per hour. See pricing.

Late cancellations and no-shows are charged at half the lesson fee. That applies if you cancel less than one hour before the start time, or don't turn up. You can still change a session time whenever you need to, as long as you give your tutor notice.

Our academic tutors are high-achieving graduates and undergraduates who scored in the top band in ICT themselves, and our professional tutors are qualified teachers or examiners with 5+ years' experience. We accept only the top 5% of applicants. You are matched to a tutor who knows your board, so they can work through practical papers with you on screen and mark your theory answers against the mark scheme. Read more about our GCSE tutors and how we select tutors.

Lessons are one-to-one and online, with a tutor matched to IGCSE ICT, your exam board and your target grade. Each session works on your weakest areas using past paper questions from your own board, whether that is Edexcel International GCSE 4IT1 or Cambridge IGCSE 0417. For ICT that usually means timed practical tasks in the software your school uses, checking every instruction and piece of evidence, plus theory answers drilled against real past papers. See how it works or start with the student application.

Many students expect ICT to be easy because they use computers every day, and that is where marks are lost. The practical papers test specific skills, such as spreadsheet formulas, database queries and web page authoring, to an exact brief, and every missed instruction or missing piece of evidence costs marks. The theory paper also needs exact terminology and balanced answers on advantages and disadvantages. Our online IGCSE tutoring focuses on exactly those areas.

In June 2026, only 4.1% of international candidates achieved a 9 in Edexcel International GCSE ICT, and 22.7% achieved a 7 or above (provisional figures from Pearson). On Cambridge IGCSE ICT, 13.0% of candidates worldwide achieved an A* (Cambridge). The top grades go to students who complete every practical task accurately under time pressure and who can also write precise, well-justified theory answers.

Grade boundaries are set after each exam series and change every year, so older figures are only a guide. In June 2026, Edexcel International GCSE ICT set grade 9 at 153 or 155 out of 200 (77–78%), depending on the papers taken, with grade 4 at 78 or 92. Cambridge IGCSE 0417's A* threshold was 197 to 204 out of 280 (70–73%), depending on the combination of theory and practical papers. Sources: Pearson International and Cambridge.

There is no coursework, but the practical exams are a large part of the grade: 50% on Edexcel International GCSE and 60% on Cambridge IGCSE. They are sat on a computer under exam conditions, with files provided, and you produce evidence such as printouts or screenshots of your work. In the Cambridge practical tests you have no internet or email access. There is no speaking assessment. See the Edexcel International specification.

IGCSE ICT is assessed by exams only, but half or more of the marks come from practical exams on a computer. Edexcel International GCSE 4IT1 sets a 1 hour 30 minute written paper and a 3-hour practical paper, each worth 50%. Cambridge IGCSE 0417 sets a 1 hour 30 minute theory paper worth 40% and two 2 hour 15 minute practical papers worth 30% each, one on document production, databases and presentations and one on spreadsheets and website authoring. See the Cambridge IGCSE 0417 syllabus.